….
"Okay…" he murmured. "Let's see what kind of mess this world throws first."
And with that, Yoo Jin-Ho - the dimensional drifter who had survived dungeons, monsters, and exploding arrivals - disappeared into the chaos of the Hero Society.
….
But even as he walked, a thought stuck like a splinter.
Toya.
The kid's fragile frame. The way his flames had screamed louder than he did.
Sending him back to Endeavor, the father who had driven him to the brink - felt wrong. Jin-Ho didn't need to know much about this world to recognize abuse when he saw it.
He sighed. "Not my place, but…"
Maybe not yet.
Maybe the kid needed to decide for himself, whether to forgive, to run, or to burn it all down again.
"For now." He muttered, glancing back toward the hospital. "I will just make sure he survives long enough to choose."
The city lights flickered across his eyes, reflecting both exhaustion and a quiet resolve.
The dimensional drifter kept walking, one man in a world full of heroes.
But unlike them, he didn't need saving.
He just needed a plan.
….
Information came first - Always.
He spent the next few hours blending in, collecting newspapers, eavesdropping on street chatter, and piecing together the timeline.
The first major clue: the 'Toxic Chainsaw' incident still didn't happen.
That was the battle where All Might faced All For One and suffered his career-ending injury.
Meaning right now, the 'Symbol of Peace' was still unbroken - the world still believed in him.
From what Jin-Ho remembered, that event occurred five years before the main story began.
Then came Toya.
The boy was about thirteen now, and the story he remembered started when Toya's generation turned twenty-three.
Ten years.
Five until the great battle, and ten until everything began.
He leaned back against a lamppost, exhaling slowly. His eyes narrowed as the calculation settled in.
"So this is ten years before the story begins."
He concluded. A faint smirk tugged at his lips - equal parts annoyance and anticipation.
He glanced at the flickering blue window that appeared before him.
His next quest was simple enough on paper.
•-------•
[Ding–!
[New Mission is assigned:
-> Task - 1: Save Toya Todoroki from the path of a villain.
-> Task - 2: Become a Pro Hero.
-> Rewards:
-> Punishmint: None]
•-------•
Jin-Ho noticed that even after 'saving' Toya the first task wasn't completed.
Then re-reads the [Task - 2], he frowned.
Becoming a Pro Hero sounded simple - until he remembered he technically didn't exist in this world.
That means no ID, documents and records of any kind.
"That's gonna be a problem."
He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
He considered going through the black market for forged papers.
….
The next few days passed in rhythm.
Jin-Ho developed a routine.
Each morning, he would check Toya's vital signs, change the bandages, and ensure the kid had water by carefully pouring small amounts of juice into his mouth.
The unconscious boy couldn't swallow food, but liquids worked if Jin-Ho was patient and careful about the angle.
Each afternoon, while Blacky watched over Toya, Jin-Ho would venture into the city.
He had managed to find a black market in the seedier parts of town - a network of back-alley shops and underground dealers who dealt in everything from stolen goods to rare items.
It was the kind of place that existed in every city, hidden from normal society. And it was the kind of place where Jin-Ho could pick up information.
He spent his evenings in those dark alleys, learning about the city's underworld.
The heroes and villains that operated here, the power dynamics, and the rules that governed the streets when law and order didn't reach.
It was a different kind of survival than anything he had faced before.
….
It had been three days since Jin-Ho arrived in this world. Three days, and already his name had started to circulate through the underworld.
"Done yet?" Jin-Ho asked flatly as one of the guards patted him down.
He looked about twenty, tall, sharp-eyed, composed. But anyone paying attention could tell he was still just a kid.
The second bouncer, arms crossed, didn't move.
Jin-Ho caught the faint flicker under the man's sunglasses.
Scanning quirk, maybe?
"Yes, all clear. You may go ahead sir." said the first one.
The second gave a curt nod.
Jin-Ho didn't bother replying.
He stepped inside.
A couch, and a low table.
A man sitting too comfortably to be normal - lazy grin, half-lidded eyes, a presence that screamed dealer.
"Sorry, we had to do that to a customer. Standard protocol." the man said, voice smooth but unapologetic.
Jin-Ho didn't reply. He just sat down across from him, reached inside his jacket, and pulled something out.
Thud.
A gun is now placed on the table.
?!The two guards instantly drew theirs, aiming squarely at his head, but waiting for the final order from their boss.
Jin-Ho didn't even blink.
The man just smirked wider. "You are a crazy one, huh? I like that."
Finally, he pushed himself up from the chair, dusted his coat, and extended a hand.
"Sorry for the delay. Name is Giran." His grin turned sharp. "And you must be the so-called Masked Bully."
Jin-Ho didn't flinch.
He just clasped the offered hand briefly, firm and unbothered, before dropping it.
Giran is an alias obviously - currently a small-time broker, good at finding talent, too clever for his own good.
A man who would one day become the League of Villains' recruiter… If Jin-Ho let him.
A waste of talent, really.
That is why, Jin-Ho decided, was going to change.
But first, he wanted to rattle him a bit.
"Mind if we have one on one?"
Giran studied him in silence. "You are putting me in a tight spot here."
Then, with a short sigh, he waved off his subordinates. The guards hesitated but obeyed, stepping out of the room.
For some reason, Jin-Ho could tell they were fired. Anyway, not his business.
"Kagero Okuta." he said suddenly, eyes flicking past Giran's shoulder. "Your security is sloppy."
Immediately, Giran's grin faltered for half a second before he recovered, letting out a low chuckle. "Heh… guess I will have to tighten things up next time."
"Do that." Jin-Ho said, tone flat but amused.
Then silence.
Jin-Ho leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. He knew exactly what kind of man Giran was - someone who didn't fold under pressure, even when facing death. The kind who could be tortured and still keep his mouth shut.
That kind of resolve was rare, something Jin-Ho could respect, even if the man had chosen to waste it on the wrong side.
In his mind, Giran's options were already limited to two:
Join him, or die here.
Simple.
He wouldn't even mind if the man stayed morally grey; he just needed his loyalty, his network, his cunning.
With Giran under him, he would have eyes and ears across the entire underworld.
"So." Giran said, eyeing him. "What's the deal?"
Jin-Ho didn't answer.
He just stared back at the guards.
If Jin-Ho's goal had been just to make a deal and walk away, he wouldn't have gone through this much trouble.
No, this wasn't about a one-time transaction, it was about setting the stage. He wanted Giran on his side - or at least, to plant the seed that would make it happen down the line.
And for that, trust mattered more than money.
Jin-Ho waited for a beat, then pulled off his mask–
"My name is Yoo Jin-Ho. Not Masked Bully."
The nickname had spread fast in the underground - after all, he did beat the hell out of villains who crossed him.
Still, he found it stupid.
Bullying? He was doing public service for free.
Now, though, the bait dropped.
They both are on the same line - on the surface.
Giran's grin returned, sharp and wolfish.
"Yoo Jin-Ho, huh? You have got guts." He leaned back, amused. "So what is the play here?"
Jin-Ho didn't waste time.
He laid out the job - what he needed done, what he would pay, and how it would go.
"What? Can't handle it?" Jin-Ho shot back.
Giran's eyes glinted. "Handle it? Kid, I thrive on it. It's my business."
Jin-Ho reached inside his jacket and put the money on the table.
Thud.
"Advance payment." He said coolly. "Details and my number are inside. Contact me when you have something."
Giran raised a brow but didn't hesitate to check the contents.
The man's smirk deepened when he saw the cash. "Generous and reckless. My favorite kind of client."
"Don't get too attached." Jin-Ho rose to his feet.
Giran extended his hand again.
Jin-Ho hesitated just long enough to make it awkward, then clasped it with a faint grin.
He leaned closer, voice low and even. "No matter how many times you try, your quirk won't work on me."
A twitch crossed Giran's expression - surprise mixed with intrigue - but before he could respond, Jin-Ho had already turned and walked out.
As soon as he left, the guards hurried back in.
"Boss, should we tail him?" one of them asked.
Giran just chuckled, still staring at the money. "No, let him be. I like this one."
….
Outside, Jin-Ho stepped into the alley's shadows.
With a light tap he flies atop a nearby rooftop. From his perch, he glanced back at the building below.
"No tails, huh?" he deduced, clicking his tongue in mild irritation.
A small part of him had almost wanted someone to follow, just so he could stage a confrontation, accuse Giran of breaking the 'merchant code', and squeeze out a little 'emotional compensation'.
His eyes drifted to the faint glimmer of hidden cameras tucked beneath a rusted sign–
"Still, what I showed should be enough for him to understand what I am capable of, right?"
Then he turned away.
Behind him, the camera's lens whirred softly and pivoted back to its default position, as if nothing, or no one, had ever been there.
….
After that, Jin-Ho headed toward the warehouse.
"It is time to change places, kid." he said, glancing at Toya.
He had come to Giran with two objectives.
One could wait.
The other couldn't - finding a doctor who could examine 'Toya' without drawing attention.
Obviously, he didn't tell the patient's name to him.
He had wanted to do that on the first day, but logic stopped him. By now, every nearby hospital had likely been alerted to report any boy around twelve admitted with severe burns.
So he waited.
From Giran, he finally got what he needed, a palace and a doctor who asked no questions and handled things quietly.
With that he again decided to move during the night.
….
Jin-Ho touched down quietly outside a small local hospital, the kind wedged between convenience stores and vending machines.
The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly against the midnight air.
He looked down at the boy in his arms, Toya Todoroki.
Jin-Ho exhaled. "You owe me a lot, firecracker."
He slipped through the hospital's side entrance, keeping his head low.
A startled nurse blinked at him, about to ask questions, but the sight of the bandaged child froze her mid-sentence.
"Giran sent me." Jin-Ho said evenly, lowering Toya onto a gurney. "He said you can handle-"
The nurse was already moving, giving orders to the night staff.
Minutes later, Toya was under treatment - IV lines, bandages, the quiet hum of hospital machines filling the silence.
….
.
[To be continued…]
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
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